talking about circles
by sierrafoxtrot
Summary: Written for the Four Seasons challenge on HPFC. Second story is Fred Weasley and Demelza Robins: Summer. "I think I'm in love!"  "How nice for you." "I know!" T for character death x
1. Spring

**Four Seasons competition**

**1. spring**

Fred Weasley saw something.

He couldn't quite identify it. It was almost like a haze, a smudge on the horizon, and he squinted at it before heading off to investigate. It seemed to be coming from a little way into the forest, near where Fred knew there was a little clearing and, seeing as he was a Gryffindor, he didn't think about what it could have been before he slipped into the trees. They were just newly budding; there were tiny spots of green on the end of the leaves. Fred tried to tell himself that he didn't notice (because, of course, he was a boy and boys weren't supposed to notice how pretty flowers were), but he did.

It turned out to be smoke.

The smoke was issuing in tiny, delicate swirls from the end of a cigarette, which was clasped in the fingers of a boy who was wearing a Ravenclaw tie. It amused Fred that, for the first few seconds, he was more focused on the fact that it was a _Ravenclaw_ breaking the rules than who it was. Or even the fact that they were smoking.

The boy was tall with broad shoulders, dark hair and handsome features. He had a quill tucked incongruously behind one ear and a piece of parchment in the hand that didn't hold the cigarette. He took a drag and pulled the quill out, scratching something on the parchment.

Fred stood stock still. At least he thought he did, but he always had been clumsy, so the crack of the twig under his foot didn't startle him much. The other boy (_oh dammit all, _what_ was his name?_) jumped violently and spun around; Fred noticed the way one hand darted into his robe pocket towards his wand. When the boy saw him he relaxed, pressing one hand to his furiously beating heart as though he was trying to hold it in his chest.

"Fuck!" he swore loudly, and Fred grinned, pleased to have pranked someone so thoroughly, even when he wasn't trying to. The boy sat back down and took a long drag of the cigarette once more, blowing the smoke out in a little column. "Fuck." He repeated, quieter. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Those things kill, you know," said Fred by way of an answer, seating himself comfortably under a nearby tree and crossing his legs. The boy rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Oh, really? I hadn't heard."

Fred was reminded of how much he hated Ravenclaws.

"I'm not sure what the school policy on smoking is," he said, nonchalantly pulling up a blade of grass, "but I'm sure that you're not supposed to."

"I thought you knew all the rules, being so skilled at breaking them."

"I have never smoked," replied the redhead, with a hint of admiration. "Pretty much the only thing we haven't done, actually."

"Alcohol?"

"Third year."

"Ah." The boy inhaled once more, and Fred took the opportunity to study him.

"I know you!" he exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "Why do I know you?"

The boy shrugged, exhaled. The smoke twisted into the sky. "I know you," he said. "You're Fred Weasley. Or George," he added, as an afterthought.

"Everyone knows us," replied Fred, without any sense of boasting. It was merely a statement of fact.

"Where's your other half?" questioned the boy curiously. Fred glanced at him sharply, then returned to watching the smoke.

"Somewhere," he said evasively. "It doesn't matter. Anyway." He stopped, the recollection hitting him like a lightning bolt from the blue sky. "I know who you are!"

"Congratulations," said the Ravenclaw dryly.

"You're dating my sister!" cried Fred, in the manner of somebody who had made a life-changing discovery, rather than just realising the identity of a smoking Ravenclaw. But then, he always had been dramatic. "Technically, I should be threatening you right now."

"Dated," corrected the boy, but Fred wasn't listening.

"Michael Corner. Oh yeah! You're in the DA. Wow, I astound myself sometimes. Merlin," he paused. "Wait, what?"

"What?"

"What did you say?"

"When?" asked Michael, smiling around the cigarette.

"Just now. You said 'dated'." The Weasley twin made air quotes around the word.

Michael winced, took a breath. "Erm…yeah. She dumped me. Today, actually." He laughed slightly, inhaled, made a mark on the parchment, and then crossed it out. Fred scowled.

"What did you do to her?" he said.

"Making up for lost threatening time?"

"Corner…"

"Nothing!" Michael tapped the cigarette and a bit of silver ask fell to the floor. "Honestly. I was pissed because she was flirting with Thomas, we had a row, and she dumped me. Really."

"Thomas?"

"And they say I have a short attention span."

"Thomas?"

"No," sighed the Ravenclaw, "I'm Michael Corner."

"No, I-" Fred rolled his eyes and sighed. "Dean Thomas?"

"_Yes_, Dean Thomas."

"I thought he was gay."

Michael froze, half way between standing and sitting. It was quite comical, and Fred remembered the posture for mocking later. "You're kidding."

"Nope, perfectly serious."

"Well, fuck!"

"You swear a lot, don't you," Fred said contemplatively, standing and brushing of his trousers. "And you smoke, I'm assuming you drink-"

"Oh, thanks-"

"You're not exactly the average Ravenclaw, are you?"

Michael held up the parchment, which was covered in etchings that made no sense whatsoever to the Weasley. "Ancient Runes homework," he said.

"Doesn't count," he dismissed. They walked back to the castle in silence, and Fred wondered what had happened to the cigarette. He also wondered how they had got up in such perfect unison.

"Well," said Michael, "if Thomas is gay then I've just broken up our relationship for noth-Oh, wait. It's all good."

Fred stared at him in astonishment, but Michael did not elaborate.

"What the-?"

"How articulate."

"Must you constantly be so sarcastic, Corner?"

"Must you constantly be so annoying, Weasley?"

"I know you smoke."

"I know you drank alcohol in third year."

They glared at each other, having reached a stalemate. Fred broke first (inwardly cursing himself for having revealed that titbit of information).

"Fine, whatever. I'll see you around."

The daffodils were in full bloom, and, in opposition to the fiery Gryffindor, Michael Corner was the sort of boy to notice this as Fred Weasley walked away.

"Hey, Terry," he said quietly, as the blond boy appeared at his side, "you would not _believe_ the weird conversation I just had."

"Dean Thomas is gay, according to Padma," replied Terry, grinning smugly.

"Oh, go away."


	2. Summer

**Four Seasons Competition**

**2. summer**

"I think I'm in love!"

Fred Weasley looked up from where he had been sitting by the fire in the common room, and then glanced around, certain that this girl must have been talking to someone else. She was not.

"How nice for you," he replied finally, staring at her. She was younger than him; he had no idea why she would approach a seventh year. She looked to be about Ginny's age, with untidy brown curly hair that was held haphazardly on the top of her head with her red and gold tie. She was grinning.

"I know!"

He squinted at her. She was pretty in the way that all young girls are when they're blissfully happy, and yet he still couldn't figure out who she was. Fred wondered if this was becoming a trend in his life.

"Corner didn't send you to annoy me, did he?" he asked questioningly.

"Who's Corner?"

Fred sighed. "Ravenclaw, dark hair, fifth year…"

"The cute one?"

"You could say that. I thought you were in love, anyway."

The girl sighed happily. "Oh, I am. Do you believe in love, Fred…or George…" She shrugged. "Whatever. Whichever."

Fred considered the question. Usually he wouldn't have done, it was just that he was in an unusually serious mood that evening in May. The fire was uncomfortably warm in the summer heat, even though it was evening, and he shifted slightly away from it. Did he believe in love? Ron loved Hermione, that was for sure, but they seemed to spend every day bickering. And Lee Jordan loved Ange, but Ange was going out with George, so that wasn't working out either. Ginny was in love with Harry, but she was dating Dean Thomas.

"Hey," he said to the girl, "isn't Dean Thomas gay?"

The girl shrugged again, extending on slim hand for him to shake. The gold bangles on her wrist chimed. "I heard so. I'm Demmy Robins, by the way."

He shook it. "Fred Weasley. I don't think I believe in love."

Demmy looked at him with something approaching pity. "You will when you're older."

And with that confusing statement she left, making her way across the common room to where Carlotta Vane, Romilda's older sister, was waiting with a curious expression on her face.

Fred scratched his head in bafflement.

* * *

It was summer again. The night weighed down upon Demmy like there was someone sitting on her shoulders. Was May summer? She wondered curiously, aware that she was thinking about this to avoid having to face what was in front of her eyes.

Michael Corner sat next to the prone body of his friend whilst Padma, face tear-streaked through the dust, held his unmoving head in her lap. Susan Bones had Justin in her arms and she was steadily rocking him, her eyes dry but her clothes soaked in his blood. And Colin (Oh god Colin), his hair mussed and his face calm, lay next to them-

She snapped her head around. She refused to look at him, thinking that maybe if she just focused on something else he would come up behind her and perhaps pull her into a kiss, because he was too young to die, it just wasn't fair and-

_Do you believe in love?_

Oh no, it couldn't be true.

But there he was, surrounded by his family, and even though she didn't even know him that well, the death of Fred Weasley brought Demelza Robins crashing down.

_I don't think I believe in love._

_You will when you're older._

This wasn't _possible_. It was different to Colin, somehow, because that hole was so huge that she wouldn't even face it. But this boy, he was a constant. You didn't have Fred without George, but there was one twin, bent over the head of the other, and that was somehow wrong, it was all a mistake, just like Terry and Justin and Zach and Lisa and Parvati and Wayne and Jack and Jimmy… they were all going to get up and everyone would laugh because it was all _alright again_-

Her heart broke over the difference between the redheaded boy by the fire and the redheaded boy under the stars.


End file.
